Enameled ironware and process of enameling



(Specimens.) Y A."J. 'VOLLRATH. y

ENAMELBD IRNWRB AND PRQCESS 01:' ENMBLING.

- No. 515,981.- Patented MaTQGQlBS-rl TTES Ntra-n ililiilje PATENT ANDREW J. YOLLRATH, OF SHEBOYGAN, "WISCONSIN SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,981, dated .trial-ch 6,189i.

Application filed January 21, 1893. Serial nliltwldll). (Specimens) To @ZZ whom t may con/ocra.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. VoLLRa'rn, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Sheboygan, in the county ofl Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Enameled Ironware `and the Prccessof Enameling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in enameled iron ware, and is more particularly directed to an improvemeft whereby the Ware shall present a novel appearance, pat

tern or design of' peculiar' beauty andcharacteristically diiferent from that found in' enameled iron ware as heretofore produced. flhe invention may be practiced in the manufacture of so-called thinly enameled ware,

or Ware where the enamel is comparatively thick, and it may be practiced for the coat lng or re-coatug of lenameled Ware in the course of its original production, or after it has been otherwise produced, and for thepurpose of giving'to its surface a characteristic` those attained by the improvement hereinaf ter described; but it is to be clearly understood that the invention is in no sense' limited to the ornamentation of defective Ware, but is mainly intended for the production of a new product of enamelediron Ware having desirable characteristics, and possessing all the necessary adhesiveness, continuity and, if desired, thinness in the coating. The 'product produced by the invention covered herebys one showing, in a coating of enamel, spots, usually round in outline, and presenting at the interior the color of the first coating of enamel, meaning that applied and fused next before the last coating. The effect produced is peculiar, and is difficult to describe in words, but is dtly indicated by the descriptive term birds eye enamel, for the same reason that a certain kind of Wood is so char acterized. l l

To make clear the use of certain terms in this specification, it should be understood' that in the nomenclature of enameling the several coats are known as follows :-The coating applied to cover defects er irregularities in the iron surface,v always necessary with cast iron but not always necessary wi th sheet iron or steel, and usually very thi-n and hard, is called the ground enamel. The coating applied to give to the iron a uniform surface of 'enamel is called the first coat. The enamel applied upon this coat, sometimes of the same and sometimes cfa different color, and intended as much to produce the necesysary color in the enamel or pattern therein as to cover any irregularities in the first coat, is called the f second coating. When there is applied to this second coating a further coating, which is usually thin and transparent and is intended merely to give to the surface a gloss which may be lacking in the second coat, this thin layer of enamel is called the finishing coat. Sometimes the second coat is also called the finishing coat, Where it is applied for the purpose of giving a gloss which the first coat failed to produce.

The present invention relates more particu larly to a process and the product thereof relating to the application of the second coat. In other Words, it is to be understood that a finishing coat may be applied if desired, though it is deemed unnecessary, and that the surface has been properly prepared to receive the second coat, which may in volveihe use of the ground andlirst coat, and even, under some circumstances, two or more first coats.

In the drawing I haveillustrated as Well as possible a fair sample of enameled iron ware produced in 'accordance with the improve ment herein set forth; butit is to be understoodthat the characteristic appearance isv not limited torthe exact .representation shown. The spots or `eyes may be greater or less in number, uniformly or irregularly distributed, and of uniform or varying size,

To carry out ,my invention l proceed as Col` lows: A first coating of enamel, which may be transparent but is preferably of some fixed color, is appliedv to the Ware and dried and fused. rthere is then applied to the surface an enamel paste of any oi the ordinary kinds used 1n enameling, the paste being applied Wet, and before it is permitted to dry there i enamel constituent, 'the greatest effect in the Way cf separation occurring apparently at the center, land seeming moreover to produce a thickening or densification of the enamel at .the edge of the spot. produced. It is usually desirable to usefor this pasteone giving a color diftercnt from that of the surface to which it is applied, and the product obtained is one xwhich shows at the center of each spot the color of the rst coating, at the edge the color more intense ot the second coating, and a shading or modification of these colors at the interme diate part of the spot. The4 eiect of this modication of the eolorstoward the edge of the spot is in many cases such as to producen greater intensity of color like that of the seeond coat within the spot, with a line of the color of the first coat around it, resembling somewhat the marginal line of the iris of the human eye. rlhis effect is more pronounced Where the first coating is 4dark and the second coating is comparatively light., but a similar effect is attained in all cases where there is a contrast between the two coatings. If desired, the alcohol itself may be covered, as'by means of a metallic oxide.

So far as l ath/,at present aware, alcohol is the best substance to use for sprinkling the wet surface to produce the characteristcappearance herein described; but I do not limit my invention to the use of alcohol as any l other substance giving the same resultis intended to be covered hereby. It is to be remarked, however, that no material for this purpose .should be considered as available as alcohol the use of whichint'rodu'ces into the4 spot a color not obtained either fromthe surface coated or from the paste which coats it.

I am aware of a process under whieh'there is sprinkled or spatteredlupo'n a coating of a specially constituted enamel before fusing carbonate of soda and like substances, which give to the center of the spotproduced aV lighter` color than tothe remainder, the color being produced with the material `sprinkled .on thesnrface This process, though practical and producing afair result,is more expensive than the process contrived by me, and the resnit obtained is so differentes to be readily1 discernible on a comparison of the products.

WhatI claim as new, and desire to l'secure by Letters Patent,is

l. Asa newarticle of manufacture, Yiron Ware having a first coatv of fused enamel of uniform color, upon this a second .coating of contrasting color, the latter coating being disi perecd into an irregular series of 4.separated rings or bird-eyes, the centers of which show the ground-work or first coat color, which centers are surrounded by rings of 'intensified color of the second coating, substantiallyas shown and described. n

2. The process of'producing ornamental enameled iron ware' which consists in applying and vitrifying a first coat of enamel of uniform color in the usual manner, then applying over this a second coat of enamel land while this is still Wet sprinkling drops of aly cphol nponthc Wet enameland. thereby wash ing or removing the wet enamel from the central portion of each drop thus forming asurrouudin g ring ot' inten si-tiedcolor contrasting with both the central removed portion and with the surrounding undisturbed portion whereby a resemblance of burl knots and birdeyes of 'wood is produced, then drying and baking the same, substantially as set forth.

y y ANDREW J. VOL'LRATL'I'.

In presence of J. N. I-IANSON, y W. N. WILLIAMS.

It i 'hereby certified that' inlL'etterS Pzilient No. 515598,11, gr'antedlMaroh v6, 1894," upon the application-'ef Andrew J..Vo11rath,-of Sheboygan, Wisconsimfor afp mpovej' 'ment in ,EnameedfIronware 'and .Process of Enamengan error appears in the prntedrspeoeation requiring the following co1?*reeiio-n,4 viz-z On page 2, linefyithe Word covered should read colored 55231151. that fh@ Seid Le'hters Patent should be read Withvthis correction therein that the samefmfny confnmvv io the record of the ease in 4the Patent Office. i I

Sgled, e'ountersigned, and sealed this 20th dey of March, A. D. 1894.

{SELQ JNO. M. REYNOLDS',

Assistant Sec'retmy of the Interim". Gouutersigned: v

' JOHN S. SEYMOUR,

Conwn'issa'oner of Patents. Y 

